three ninilchik men indicted by federal grand jury for marijuana grow operation
Anchorage, Alaska – United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced that three men from Ninilchik, Alaska were indicted by a federal grand jury in Anchorage for operating a marijuana grow operation out of two residences.
On April 21, 2011, Scott Hume, Christopher Norman, and Kirk Turner, all of Ninilchik, Alaska, were indicted in a five-count indictment. According to the indictment, the three defendants operated marijuana grow operations out of two separate residences in Ninilchik. A search of the residences revealed that each contained in excess of 100 marijuana plants.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Cavanaugh, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 5 years and a maximum total sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of $2 million, or both. Under federal sentencing statutes, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, of the defendant.
Hume, Norman, and Turner are being prosecuted as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska’s Rural Prosecution Initiative, a part of the Department of Justice’s commitment to improved public safety for rural Alaska and Alaskan tribal communities.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Alaska Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Enforcement (ABADE) division of the Alaska State Troopers conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
